We are a product of our environment, right? No doubt that everything we do and everyone we encounter changes us a little or a lot. But how do we take advantage of the crowds arounds us? How do we avoid being dragged down by the crowd? And regressing to the mean? Everyday we can be pushed to realize our potential or pulled to be like everybody else.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered. Japanese proverb
It is human nature to to fall in line. the Asch conformity experiments demonstrate that we will lie about what we see to conform.
I meet thousands of people who are in the federal witness relocation program. No not real former witnesses hiding out. But people under assumed identities–identities that they assumed from the advice of others. People told them what they should be, what they should study, what jobs made financial sense. They ignored their own interests to make the crowds around them happy.
Don't accept hand-me-down dreams.
If we were a product how would we market ourselves? How would we promote our brand? What would differentiate us from the other products? Your resume? Your job? You?
Fear, the change around us, doubt about our chances, make us conservative and practical. We pull back our dreams, our aspirations, and our talents. We accept less of ourselves. Less of who we are and what we want. Not talking about our personal budgets. Financial prudence should always govern. I am talking about carving out a life and career that truly reflects you.
If you always do what you have always done then you always get what you always got. Stuart Crab